My name is Sharon Garofalow. Based in So Cal, I am the mom to two amazing little boys and married to the raddest man in all the land. This is where I share a collection of cool, created by me or curated from around the web. I focus on untraditional party themes, unfussy fashion and creative activities for your modern family.cupcakesandcutlery@gmail.com

I don’t know if Cinderella was redesigned recently but when it came on TV right after Christmas I noticed how cool the opening credits were. The ikat is amazeballs. And that is not a word I throw around lightly. I die over the colors and the fonts. My boys wouldn’t watch it with me. Whatevs. Who knew that Cinderella was so design focused?!

So my family and I were out on a hike in Newport Coast one weekend and some other hikers called us over to have a look at these awesome fossils. A geologist that they encountered on a recent hike had shown them and said they were probably about 115 MILLION years old. WHAT! How crazy is that? And super cool that other hikers wanted to share their knowledge.

My mom gave my boys gift certificates to Ridemakerz at Downtown Disney for Christmas. If you have never heard of it, it is pretty much like a Build A Bear, but with cars. THE COOLEST. The boys had the best time. You pick out the car body that you want (most of them are Disney related), and then you choose tires and rims, etc. Although it ads on a bit more money, you HAVE to make it a remote control. The cars would still be cool if the boys were pushing them around but seeing them play for an hour at the park, literally shrieking with delight, was priceless. Once they add the remote control, you are taken to your own work station where they put their cars together. As with most things Disney, it is really well done. The entire experience was really fun.

It is good to have talented friends. Just take a look at this Pop Tart Cupcakes by Meringue Bake Shop! Um, yeah. So yummy. She gave me a few of these to try along with some maple bacon scones. For no reason whatsoever. Thanks Kristin!

It is a breast cancer awareness month so I wanted to offer this cupcake topper download again. It was originally created for a contest I held last year called Georgene Vehe’s Sweets for the Teats, named after my grandmother who had breast cancer. These were created by Lauren and are perfect for any kind of party you might be throwing or treat you might be sharing during the month. Just download, cut out (or use a 1″ circle punch) and stick on a pick. I will be getting my first mammogram this month. Yes, it is early. Yes, that is scary. And yes, I will be having some sort of sugary comfort food that day. I encourage all of you to take your own breast health, literally, in to your own hands.

I snuck away to Arizona for a few days earlier this summer. I got to spend tons of quality time with one of my besties, Kayla, who lives far away from me in Texas, and just relax. We got a little pool time in, had a spa treatment and then treated ourselves to a blowout at The Dry Bar.

Kayla has family in the area so she was familiar with some of the local establishments. She knew I would love Windsor and she was right. I think this might be my favorite restaurant of all time. But it isn’t just a restaurant. Attached is a fantastic ice cream/candy shop called Churn. I mean, a black and white Beastie Boys photo and a bold graphic statement on the wall? I didn’t want to leave.

If you follow me on Instagram (cupcakescutlery), you may remember this radtastic cassette tape wall. So good. This is in the hallway between the restaurant and the ice cream shop. And maybe one day my home will have a wall very similar. No where is that New Edition tape…

So Windsor and Churn got EVERYTHING right. From the decor (succulents, plaid chairs, rustic cool tables, the aforementioned tape wall and who knew that branded toilet paper could be so cool?), the music (like first wave awesomeness including but not limited to The Police, David Bowie, etc.), cocktails (inventive, flavorful and refreshing) and service (the servers were the coolest of the cool without any pretension – so refreshing coming from Orange County). And then there was the food. We only got appetizers but gosh dang were they good. Mark my words, fondue is coming back in a big way (a bit modernized and not your traditional swiss but delightful variations) and Windsor’s version did not disappoint. We also tried their corn dog poppers and the mac and cheese but my FAVE dish was the nachos. They were homemade potato chips with caramelized onions, bacon and cheese. Like, whoa. I really didn’t have room for dessert but I had to try some of the coffee ice cream at Churn. While there I picked up some little souvenirs for my baby boys back home.

There are two things that Rachel Ray has taught me. 1) It takes me an hour to make her 30 minute meals and 2) Always ask locals for restaurant recommendations. Our server from Windsor told us about Orange Table and told us they made the best corned beef hash. She was not wrong. But I had to add in a sweet element too with banana nut french toast. And the coffee drinks?! The Mexican Mocha was phenomenal. They have a full bar so this is certainly not just a breakfast spot. Next time I go for a weekend I will be staying at The Saguaro which is across a little courtyard from this restaurant. And then I’d probably never leave the area by car. Who wants to go with me?

Kayla is my foodie pal and lets me indulge in all kind of fattening naughtiness. We passed this cupcake shop on the way to my very first Hobby Lobby experience and knew we were going to have to go back and check it out. 21 Cakes is gorgeous. From the marble to the calm colors and ghost chairs they had at their communal cupcake eating table, I kind of wanted to move in. I loved the vintage cupcake pans set in the wall. Such a cool touch. Oh yeah and the cupcakes were delicious too. We got a salted caramel and peanut butter chocolate. YUM! And it is no wonder that I need to go on a diet because our very next stop was to Sprinkles Cupcakes. We had promised Kayla’s mom we would bring some for her. We couldn’t tell her no, right? :)

I fell in love with these places on my short visit and can’t wait to go back again! Where do you love to go in Scottsdale/Phoenix?

Last week I got a super fun shipment in the mail. Cupcakes in a jar for Wicked Good Cupcakes! I’m sure you have seen them all over pinterest but they are something that I would never make. Too many steps. I’m super lazy. But not too lazy to eat. They had been mis-delivered (totally a word) to a neighbor. She brought them over and commented on how she was sure I would want the package because it had cupcakes (thanks to the company’s sticker on the package). And then she sort of hung around. I might be wrong but I think she was waiting for me to offer her one. I didn’t. Cupcakes make people act crazy sometimes. I took off the box lid and found the cupcake jars wrapped up snug, just waiting to be eaten. The box even contained 4 faux-silver plastic spoons. It was a thoughtful touch.

Wicked Good Cupcakes is based in MA but will ship anywhere in the US. They sell 2 different sizes of cupcakes in a jar and have a variety of flavors to choose from including Hummingbird! Yum! They also have options for customizing labels for special events and offer bulk discounts.

This is their Spring Fling cupcake that is white cake with a vanilla cream cheese buttercream! I found it just perfect for breakfast, er, I mean an afternoon snack.

I also got a birthday cake flavor which was white cupcake with a Madagascar Bourbon cream cheese buttercream. Yeah. Also delicious. But what I like about these cupcakes in a jar, more than anything, is that they allow you to send a little celebration to your friends and family around the country. My nieces live in Nevada and I don’t often get to spend their birthdays with them. How excited would they be to open up a package of cupcakes?! And my husband’s cousin and cousin’s wife just bought a new house in Connecticut. What a great housewarming present!

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My name is Sharon Garofalow. Based in So Cal, I am the mom to two amazing little boys and married to the raddest man in all the land. This is where I share a collection of cool, created by me or curated from around the web. I focus on untraditional party themes, unfussy fashion and creative activities for your modern family.cupcakesandcutlery@gmail.com